Bears turn to science for fitness boost.

WARWICKSHIRE'S players have stepped up their preparations for the new season with regular fitness sessions under the supervision of the Sports Science department at Birmingham University.

The Bears' players are not due to report back for full time training until March 1 but each player has been asked to adhere to a fitness regime since November.

All players who are not spending the winter away reported back to Edgbaston earlier this week for a series of tests conducted by fitness coach Simon Hollyhead with support from staff at the university.

"With the new season only 14 weeks away we are now entering the second phase of the players' training regimes and it's vital that their progress is monitored professionally at the beginning of each stage to address their individual requirements," Hollyhead said.

"In conjunction with some Sports Science support from the university, there were assessments of every player's body composition, strength flexibility and aerobic capabilities. The tests looked to establish the levels each player was at in different components of their physical attributes.

Players based overseas have had to complete similar testing with Neil Carter using a sports science institute in Cape Town and Tim Groenewald using similar facilities in his native Durban. Seamers Adam Shantry and Lee Daggett will use sports science facilities in Perth where they are spending the next five weeks.